Magat dam level critically low

RAMON, Isabela: Floods almost submerged most villages in Northern Luzon but not in Isabela, which is experiencing a dry spell. Level of rock-filled Magat dam in General Aguinaldo village here has remained critically low level even if the southwest monsoon had brought intermittent rains to the province. This was confirmed by National Irrigation Administration-Magat River Integrated Irrigation System (NIA-MRIIS) officials as they reported to the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration that the Magat dam level has reached an average of 167-meters this weekend, a bit of increase from the 158-meter low level on August 15. Engineer Wilfredo Gloria of NIA-MRIIS said the average desired normal level was at 190 meters high, just three meters below the 193-meter maximum level of the reservoir. For fishpen operator Leonarda Oblarte, the lack of water has been forcing them to reduce the number of fish at their cages. “We had been at the receiving end of this drought. Even with the monsoon, it barely brought rains to us and we had been suffering minor fish kills,” she said.